Food slicer with means for indexing and locking gauge plates in safety position



Sept. 9, 1958 H. J. TALGE ETAL 2,851,074

Eoon sLIcER WITH MEANS Eon INnExTNG .mn Locxms 4 GAUGE PLATES 1N SAFETY PosTTToN med Jan; 2. lesa Tlf Unit

Patented Sept. 9, 1958 ice FOOD SLICER WITH MEANS FOR INDEXING AND LOCKWG GAUGE PLATES IN SAFETY POSITION Henry J. Talge, Kansas City, Mo., and Frank E. Aberer, Kansas City, Kans.; said Aberer assigner t said Talge Application January 2, 1958, Serial No. 7 06,610

4 Claims. (Cl. 146-102) This invention relates to food slicing machines of the type operable, upon reciprocation ofV a food carrying carriage in relation to a slicing blade, to reduce bulk food items to a plurality of slices of gauged thickness and refers more particularly to means operable to shield the blade edge at times when the machine is not being used.

In food slicers of the type here involved the thickness of the slice or cut is controlled by means of an adjustable gauge plate or thickness guide. This plate or guide stands to one side of the blade and parallel therewith. To change the thickness of a slice the guide is shifted in a direction normal to the plane of the blade, usually through means` of a thrust screw arrangement.

In most machines of which we are aware, the edge of. the slicing blade, except in the area where it is to engage the food, is shrouded or housed around the major portion of the circumference of the blade, only suicient edge being left exposed to permit the slicing operation. This exposed edge portion, however, constitutes an ever present danger to both children and adults. The danger can be eliminated by returning the gauge plate, after slicing is nished, to a position in which it is coplanar wth the blades. In this location, that portion of the gauge plate which is adjacent the blade prevents edgewise contact,

with the blade. However, there is no way, other than by sight alone, to index the thickness guide or gauge plate in the coplanar position described. Besides, there is nothing to prevent the displacing of the plate from this blade shielding position by absent-minded manipulation of the adjusting mechanism by either adults or children.

The present invention has for one of its primary objects the provision of a food slicing machine which includes means for indexing and releasably locking the gauge plate in a preselected safety position with reference to the rest of the machine. In the preferred machine the locking is completely automatic, the locking mechanism being operated responsive to the movement of the gauge plate and its associated parts into the preselected safety position. Another important object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character described in which the locking mechanism is so located and constructed as to make the release of the guide or gauge plate for movement to a slicing position a simple matter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a Inachine of the character described in which the indexing and locking of the gauge plate in the safety position is positive and automatic, in which the parts are few and simple in construction, which can be manufactured at low cost and which is capable of withstanding years of rugged use.

Other and further objects of the invention together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto will appear in the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts in the various views;

- flange of the carriage.

2 Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a slicing machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation taken from the left-hand end of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally along the lines 3 3v of Figs. 2 and 4;

Fig. 4 is a view taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Figs. l and 2, the general arrangement of the meat slicing device shown is known to the art. This device includes a base 10 supported by the four legs 11. On the base there is mounted a stationary support and housing 12 which carries a sharp edged vertically disposed circular slicing blade 13. Blade 13 is supported for rotation about an axis 14, being operable through the medium of a hand crank 15. The housing 12 is provided with an upper portion such that it overhangs and shields the edge of the blade through somewhat better than of the circumference of the blade, leaving only that edge of the blade exposed which can be viewed in Fig. 2.

Supported in parallelism with the blade and to one side thereof is the upstanding plate-like member 16 known as the thickness guide or gauge plate. In the typical machine here illustrated the guide is adjustable so as to shift it toward or away from the plane of the blade.

The means by which this adjustment is accomplished and the manner of supporting the thickness guide or gauge4 plate will be described more fully hereinafter.

Supported on the base adjacent the guide 16 is the usual food platform or carriage 17 which is movable in directions transverse to the axis of the blade 13 so as to advance food toward the blade parallel to guide 16 to form a cut and to withdraw the food and prepare it for another cut. The carriagehas at its rear or trailing edge' an upstanding vertical flange 18 which is disposed normal Ito the path of travel of the carriage and preferably extends across the width of the carriage. Any suitable track mechanism such Ias indicated at 19 may be utilized to support the carriage for reciprocation in the fashion described. A feeding plate 20 is slidably supported on the When the machine is to be used, the food is disposed between this plate and the gauge plate, and the operator by maintaining pressure on the feeding plate, can hold the food in lirm contact withl the gauge plate during slicing.

The elements described thus far will be recognized as conventional. ln the ordinary operation of the unit of the type described the food body, such as a roast, is placed on the carriage 17 and butted against the gauge plate 16. The carriage is then moved toward thefblade (in Fig. l it is shown in the position it would occupy about the middle of a cut of a large roast) to bring the food body into contact with the blade; as the blade is rotated and the carriage further advanced a slice is separated. During the cutting operation it is necessary to maintain pressure on the food body, pressing it toward the guide or gauge plate 16 and the plane of the blade in order to keep the food feeding accurately through the blade and this is the purpose of the feed plate 20 previously described.

Returning now to the means for supporting and adjusting the gauge plate 16, it will be observed that formed with the base 10 and extending thereabove to lone side of the blade is an upright pedestal or housing 21. lThis housing is apertured as at 22 (see Fig. 4) to receive aA 3. in any suitable fashion, `for example by a mounting plate 25 to which the shaft is welded and which is secured to the thickness guide by counter-sunk rivets 26.

The shaft 24 is slidable longitudinally in bearing 23, and is provided with internal threads at that end inside the bearing. A screw 27 is threadedly received in the threaded end of shaft 24. Screw 27 is held against longitudinal movement by means'of a cap 28 which is threaded on the end of the bearing, the screw being provided with a retaining collar 29 which cooperates with a shoulder 30 formed on a hand crank 31 to maintain the screw in fixed longitudinal position in the bearing. It will thus be evident that by turning the crank the shaft 24 and its attached gauge plate will be impelled either away from or toward the bearing housing 21, depending on the direction of rotation of the hand crank. The gauge plate 16 is held against rotation by legs 16a which rest upon base 10.

Positioned to one side of the bearing housing and apertured for passage therethrough of the shaft 24 is an adapter 32 for holding a similarly apertured locking member 33. The adapter is preferably formed as a casting and is secured to the bearing housing by means of screws 34. That face of the adapter confronting the housing is provided with a number of recesses. The first of these is a generally rectangular recess having parallel edges 35 (see Fig. 3). This recess is of a depth and width such as to slidably receive the plate-like locking member 33. Two recesses 36 which are similar to each other and deeper than the locking member recess are disposed at the lower corners of the latter. Springs 37 are fitted in these recesses. Notches at the corners of the locking member tit with springs 37.

It will be evident that springs 37 continually urge the locking member outwardly in its recess, thus causing the lower rim of the locking plate aperture 38 to bear against the surface of the shaft 24. A third recess 39 located centrally of the bottom of the locking member recess provides space for a guide dimple 40 formed on the locking member. At its upper end the locking member 33 is provided with a flange or lip 41 which renders it easily manipulatable.

Returning again to Fig. 4 it will be observed that provided in the lower surface of shaft 24 is a circumferentially directed keeper recess 42 which conveniently can be formed by encircling the shaft with an annular groove. The longitudinal position of this groove on the shaft is such that it moves into registry with the locking member 33 when the gauge plate 16 is coplanar with the blade, which is the broken line position illustrated in Fig. 4. The blade 13 is indicated in Fig. 4 in an edgeon position. As the keeper recess 42, which is of slightly greater width than the thickness of the locking member, aligns with the locking member, the springs 37 force the locking member upwardly so that the rim of the locking member aperture enters the groove in the fashion of a detent. This locking position `of the locking member is illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 4 also.

Once the locking member enters the keeper recess, any further longitudinal movement of shaft 24 (and thus the gauge plate) is effectively prevented. The gauge plate is therefore` maintained in a position in which it shields the edge of the cutting blade and prevents direct edge-Wise contact therewith. WhenV it is desired to re lease the shaft so that the position of the gauge plate can be changed in order to ready the machine for slicing, one need only depress the locking member 33 to free it from keeper recess 42 and .at the same time turn screw 27 suciently to prevent re-entry of the locking member into the recess.

From the foregoing it will be evident that we have provided a blade safety arrangement for food slicing machines which is automatic in its indexing operation and which can quickly be released when it is desired to utilize the machine. When slicing has been completed,

the gauge plate can be returned to the safety position by merely turning the hand crank 31 to run the gauge plate toward the blade until such time as keeper recess 42 in shaft 24 aligns itself with the locking member. Locking occurs automatically when this position is reached and the gauge plate will be firmly held in its blade-protecting position until such time as the locking member is manipulated to release it in thev fashion earlier described.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a food slicing machine of the type having a base, a rotary slicing blade mounted on said base in fixed relation thereto, said blade being shrouded about a portion of its circumference and leaving a cutting edge exposed for slicing purposes, and a thickness guide disposed generally parallel with the plane of said blade and to one side thereof and having one edge of arcuate form and closely adjacent the edge of the blade and shiftable in a direction generally normal to the plane of the blade to control the thickness of the slices produced, the combination of an upright standard on said base spaced from said blade, a thrust mechanism supported by said standard and connected with said guide for shifting the same, said mechanism including an elongated element extending from and rigid with said guide and slidably mounted within said standard, a single locking recess in said element, a locking detent supported by said standard and spaced from said blade and associated with said element normally permitting free movement of said element by said thrust mechanism when it is desired to adjust said thickness guide toward or away from said blade to change the thickness of the cut but operable, upon shifting of said element, to a position wherein said recessregisters with said locking detent, to releasably engage with said recess to prevent further shifting in either direction -of said element and said guide, said recess being spaced from said guide at a distance substantially the same as the distance between said detent and said blade so that when the locking detent is engaged in said recess, `said guide is in the plane of the edge of the blade and shields the exposed portion of the edge.

2. A yfood slicing machine as set forth in claim l wherein resilient means is provided for urging said detent into engagement with said element.

3. A food slicing machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said detent is a plate-like member having an aperture therethrough and said element extends through said aperture, and further including resilient means urging said plate-like member into engagement with said element.

4. A food slicing machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein said thrust mechanism includes a bearing and said element comprises a shaft slidable in said bearing, and means for sliding said shaft in either direction in said bearing.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,295,587 Peter Feb. 25, 1917 2,091,632 Friedman Aug. 3l, 1937 2,558,766 y Lundell July 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS l 46,900 A. Sweden Apr. 28, 1920 

